


Inbetween The Here And Now (That's Where The Magic Starts)

by Queen_Martia



Series: Camileda AU [1]
Category: The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F, Family Fluff, Gay MILFs, Gen, Introspection, but - Freeform, camilia is a good mom, eda is a good mom, hhhh what else, hooty is valid, mama bear - Freeform, mostly from eda but some from camilia too, no beta we die like men, okay it's technically not femslash yet, there's a lot of flirting, which is not a tag but it should be, wow luz how come you get to have TWO moms?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-03
Updated: 2020-09-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:01:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26273014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Queen_Martia/pseuds/Queen_Martia
Summary: All Camilia wanted was to send her daughter off to summer camp safely and head to work. Instead, she gets dragged into a fantasy world, flirts with a witch who's literally falling apart, and fights the system.Well, at least Luz is having fun.
Relationships: Camilia Noceda & Luz Noceda, Eda Clawthorne & Camilia Noceda, Eda Clawthorne & Luz Noceda, Eda Clawthorne/Camilia Noceda
Series: Camileda AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1908874
Comments: 25
Kudos: 466





	Inbetween The Here And Now (That's Where The Magic Starts)

**Author's Note:**

> this was written in about three days and has no beta readers so enjoy some gay family. it's pretty much just a retelling of the first episode, but with the caveat that camilia comes with luz to the boiling isles. there are some minor plot beats that get changed, but it's overall the same episode.  
> btw, the next person to say that eda is luz's "better mom" is getting a knee to the groin

Camilia had just wanted to see her daughter off to camp and head to work. Was that too much to ask?

Apparently, the answer to that was a resounding yes.

“Hey! Tiny trash thief!” Luz swatted at the small owl which had grabbed onto her Azura book, her fingers missing it by mere inches. The owl hooted indignantly and dropped the book into a burlap sack, which it then picked up and dove off with into the forest.

Luz only made a few steps before Camilia grabbed ahold of her hoodie. “Mija! The bus will be here any minute, and I need to go to work.”

Luz looked up at her with pleading eyes. “But Mami! He took my book!”

“The book you just threw out?” Camilia pinched the bridge of her nose. “Lulu, you said you would take a break with this.”

Luz was still struggling to get out of her grasp. “I need it!”

“You won’t need Azura at camp! You’ll make plenty of real friends, Mija. Please, I have to get to work, and the bus isn’t going to wait.”

Luz’s expression grew even more upset, and Camilia sighed. “Fine, we’ll get your book back. But then you have to head to camp.”

“Yes! Gracias, mama!” Luz threw her arms around Camilia’s waist in a hug, before darting off into the woods after the owl. Camilia followed after her, shaking her head. With any luck, the owl would realize it’d picked up a book and not something it could eat and would drop it.

Come to think of it, what was an owl doing out at nine in the morning, anyway? And what was it doing with a bag?

“You’re not getting away from me!” Luz called just up ahead. Camilia pushed through the dense forest, her eyes falling on a decrepit cabin. The owl flew through the door and Luz followed right after it.

“Luz! Be careful!” Oh, what if she fell and got splinters? Or a beam collapsed on her? Or what if- Camilia shook her head and raced after her daughter, careful to cover her hand with her sleeve to avoid splinters as she pushed through the door. As she stepped through, it felt as though the air changed, become acrider and thinner.

Her daughter’s voice echoed ahead. “Stop adorably hopping away, you- huh?”

Camilia groaned, stepping over a pile of cloth on the floor to place a hand on her daughter’s shoulder. “Mija, you gave me the fright of my life! What were you thinking, barging in here without checking first? You could have gotten hurt.”

“Sorry, Mama. But…” Luz glanced around, and for the first time Camilia noticed that the house didn’t much look like a house. The walls were draped with fabric, junk piled in every corner, and a thin sliver of light was up ahead. “I thought I had a lot of weird stuff.” She picked up a baby doll head impaled on a clothes hanger. “But this- this is impressive.”

“More like disturbing,” Camilia muttered. “C’mon, let’s get out of here before- “

“Oh good! You’re back!” A strange voice sounded from outside. Camilia wanted to groan as Luz inched forward, pulling back one of the curtains to reveal a strange-looking woman with two-toned hair and pointed ears. The woman rifled through the bag, dismissing a phone, an engagement ring, and- was that the Holy Grail? - as garbage.

“Oh, this!” The woman pulled on a pair of googly eye glasses. “This will make me rich!”

Camilia rolled her eyes. Of all the things to steal, she chose some novelty prank item?

“And this?” The woman held up Luz’s book, weighing it for a moment before holding it over a candleflame. “Well, this’ll make for good kindling.”

Luz gasped and darted forward, snatching her book out of the woman’s hands. “Excuse me, sorry, that’s mine, thank you!” She grabbed Camilia’s hand and started to run. “C’mon, Mama, before- “

A clattering sound behind her made Camilia turn and say some things that aren’t appropriate for little ears. The door behind them, red and gold with an eye in the center, folded up like a board and flew into the hand of the silver-haired woman. The woman held up a key with the same eye on it as the door, her expression a mix of anger and determination. “You’re not going anywhere.”

Camilia snarled, shoving her daughter behind her. “Mija, run!” Luz darted beneath the fabric of the tent as Camilia raised her fists into a fighting stance.

The woman gave a wicked grin. “Relax, beautiful, I ain’t gonna hurt ya-“ She was cut off as Camilia swung at her face, before sweeping her legs out from under her with her staff. She made a circle in the air with her finger, and several tubes of earth coiled around Camilia’s legs, forcing her into a sitting position. “Hey, would you calm down?” the woman grunted, kneeling down. “I’m not gonna throw away a business opportunity like this.”

“I won’t let you hurt my daughter!” Camilia hissed, fingers inching towards her back pocket. If she could just reach her taser-

“GIVE ME YOUR SKIN!” screamed a voice from the back of the tent, followed by Luz’s scream. The woman’s concentration broke for just a moment, but a moment was all Camilia needed to break free, rushing out to find her daughter chopping a knife-toothed pixie into the dirt.

“Where are we?” Luz asked her mother, gripping her arms with shaky hands. “Did we die? Am I in the bad place?”

The woman grunted, waving her staff with a lazy flourish and levitating both Luz and Camilia several inches off the ground. “You wish.”

Camilia tried to break free from the magic- that’s what it had to be, after all, no science could explain what was happening- but Luz seemed resigned to her fate. “I’m sorry! I just wanted my book back!” She was placed down on a stool, cringing away from the strange woman. “And now you’re going to eat my skin! Just make it quick!”

“Eat you?” the woman scoffed. “Why would I eat… a potential customer?”

The woman’s demeanor shifted into one that could only be described as an Honest John’s Car Dealership. “Can I offer you a human foot filled with holes?” She held up a croc. “A bar of green human candy?” A bar of deodorant. “Oh, I know! You, lovely lady, how would you like a black shadowbox that reflects only sadness?” The magic holding Camilia faded, placing her back on the ground as the woman shoved a dead portable TV in her face.

Camilia blinked in surprise. What on earth- or wherever they were- was going on?

Luz, to her surprise, gave a soft little laugh. “That’s not all it can do.” She hopped off the stool and grabbed two batteries from a dish labeled ‘Human Candy! (????)’, sliding them into the socket on the TV. It lit up with a jolt, playing some jazzercize routine that reeked of the eighties. Camilia was abruptly reminded of her childhood in the eighties- the scrunchies, the legwarmers, the tie-dye everything- and felt heat rush to her cheeks.

Inhuman customers began to crowd around the booth, waving wads of what must have been money in the strange woman’s face for the “screaming box”. The woman turned to her daughter with a strange smile, a golden tooth glinting in the sunlight. “What did you say your name was again?”

“I’m Luz! Luz No-“

She was cut off as her mother clamped a hand around her mouth. “Mija, we don’t give our full name to strangers, especially not strangers who try to sell junk.”

Luz licked her hand to escape, wiggling free. “But mom-“

Okay, if the reality version wouldn’t help, maybe she could try connecting with her daughter on her level. “Don’t you remember in those stories, how you never told the Good Neighbors your name? Look at her ears, Mija- you never know. Names have power.”

Luz groaned, but the plead to her fantasy worlds must have worked, because she didn’t finish telling the woman her name. The woman, for her part, turned to Camilia and gave a wink. “And you, gorgeous?”

“Camilia,” she answered curtly. “Who are you? Where are we?”

The woman laughed and stepped up on top of her stand. “I’m Eda the Owl Lady, the most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles!”

Luz gave a soft gasp, and Camilia felt another headache coming on. “A witch?”

Eda nodded. “I am a respected, feared-“

“BUSTED!” A large fist slammed down over the TV, smashing it to shards. A man in what looked like a plague doctor outfit held up a stylized wanted poster, the other guards moving forward as the crowd scattered. “Eda the Owl Lady, you are wanted for misuse of magic and demonic misdemeanors!”

Luz gave another tiny gasp, not even noticing her mother’s attempts to pull her away from the guards. “Whoa! Witch crimes!”

“Witch crimes we do not want to get involved with,” Camilia muttered. “Now, let’s leave.”

The guard jabbed a meaty finger in Eda’s face, glaring through the eyeholes on his mask. “You are hereby ordered to come with me to the Conformatorium!”

Eda yanked her arm away from the guard with a glare. “Would you guys quit following me around? I haven’t done squat.”

A guard grabbed ahold of Luz’s hoodie, holding her aloft like a baby kitten. “And you’re coming too!”

“Let her go!” Camila ordered. “We’ve broken no laws in this place, and she’s a minor! What would you even charge her for?”

“Fraternizing with a criminal,” the guard told her. Another clamped heavy handcuffs around Camilia’s wrists, and she felt a burn as she struggled against the metal.

Eda raised her hands in defeat. “Alright, alright, you win. Just let me get my stuff!” She reached underneath her table and whipped out her staff, sending the guard holding her daughter flying back with a groan. Camilia managed to grab Luz just before she hit the ground, wincing as the woman cast a beam of ice at the chains binding her, freezing the metal until it shattered.

With a slam of her staff against the ground, Eda’s stall hovered and coalesced into a single rucksack, which she tied around the end of her staff. “Whoops! Can’t forget about this.” She clicked the eye on the key again, and the door-briefcase-thing flew into her hand. She began to run, staff held over her shoulder. “Follow me, humans!”

Camilia tugged her daughter along as they, for some inexplicable reason, followed the owl lady through the winding streets. “This is crazy!” Luz told her as they ducked under a hanging sign.

Camilia groaned. “If we die here, I’m going to kill you.”

“I know. Watch out!” Luz pulled her out of the way of a guard’s fist, throwing a rock at the man as they ran. “That was close!”

“Ah, don’t sweat it!” Eda told them, pulling Luz up and out of the way of some stray apples. “You two are much more valuable to me alive than dead.”

“Really reassuring,” Camilia muttered, taking her daughter’s hand as soon as Eda placed her down. “Where are we going?”

“Hold on!” Eda said, dragging Camilia and Luz over her staff and kicking off the ground with a whoop. Camilia yelped and immediately clenched one hand around the wood of the staff and the other arm around her daughter’s waist.

Luz whimpered into her chest, and Camilia hushed gently. “It’s okay, Mija. I won’t let you fall.” She craned her neck back to Eda. “You won’t let us fall, right?”

“What part of ‘I need you alive’ do you not understand?” Eda snarked. She reached a clawed finger over and smoothed a strand of Luz’s hair back behind her ear. “You can open your eyes now, human.”

Luz cracked an eye open, looking around at the vast expanse of the world around them- the violet sky, the mountains that seemed almost like ribs, the blood-red pine trees jutting out of the ground. “Flying staff, crazy monsters, you’re a witch- what is this place?”

Eda gave a confident smile, pulling Camilia and by extension Luz back until Camilia’s back was against her chest. “This is the Boiling Isles. Every myth you humans have is caused by a little of our world leaking into yours.” A griffin cawed from where it was flying beside them, looking almost exactly like the project Luz had made a few months ago. With a screech, it let out a spray of spiders.

“I knew it!” Luz cheered, almost disbalancing both her and Camilia before Eda placed a steady hand on Camilia’s shoulder.

“Yep. Griffins, vampires, giraffes-“

“Giraffes?” Camilia asked.

“Oh yeah. We banished those guys.” Eda scoffed. “Bunch of freaks.”

“Pot, meet kettle,” Camilia mumbled to herself. The staff lowered, and Camilia shakily got to her feet on solid ground. She placed Luz down and checked her over for any injuries- while her primary training was as a resident nurse, she didn’t go through years of first-aid training for nothing. Thankfully, her daughter was unharmed.

The same could not be said for Eda the Owl Lady, whose severed hand still clung to the staff. Eda, for her part, merely seemed annoyed by it. “Dang it. That happens sometimes.” She removed the hand and reattached it at the wrist, flexing her fingers for good measure.

Luz took a deep breath. “Okay, I’ve had enough adventure for one day. This is clearly not the PG fantasy world I always dreamed about, so… can you help us get back home?”

Eda laughed sardonically. “Only if you help me first, human!”

Camilia tried not to let herself be ruled by her emotions- partly to set a good example for her daughter, and partly because years of trying not to be “stereotypical” tended to wear down one’s resolve. But Eda’s blatant disregard for her and her daughter’s return made something in her snap. “Let me get this straight,” she growled. “You steal my daughter’s book, close up the portal back to our world, nearly get us arrested by plague doctors with batons, and now you won’t even let us go home?”

“Nope!” Eda smirked. “I need a favor that only a human can do.” Her smile faded somewhat. “Believe me, if I could do it myself, it would’ve been done already.” She ushered them along towards a lopsided yet beautiful house, looking on with a smile.

Luz glanced around nervously. “Aren’t you worried about those guard guys following us?”

“Nope!” Eda told her. “My house has a state-of-the-art security system.”

The owl face on the door, which Camilia had just assumed was carved but was apparently sentient, like half the things on the Boiling Isles appeared to be, gave a grin. “Password please- ow!”

Eda poked the poor thing right in the eyes. “We got no time for this, Hooty. Let us in.”

Hooty glared. “Alright alright, geez! You never want to have any fun! Ow! Hoot!” It opened its mouth in lieu of actually opening the door, and Camilia followed after her daughter and Eda into the darkened house, because apparently the horror movies that Luz forced her to watch had taught her nothing.

Eda snapped her fingers. “Welcome to… The Owl House!” Candles lit aflame, light surged up the glyphs on the walls, and the furniture began to animate. Luz took a reverent step forwards, eyes scanning the area as Eda continued. “Where I hide away from the pressures of modern life. Also, the cops. Also, ex-boyfriends.”

Camilia snorted a laugh. “I feel you on that last one.” If she never had to see Henry again, it would be too soon.

Eda gave her a flirtatious smile. “Ah, but for you, dear Camilia, you’re always welcome here.”

Camilia rolled her eyes. “Please. At least treat me to dinner first.”

“That can be arranged,” Eda growled saucily.

Luz interrupted with a groan. “Mama, stop flirting! It’s gross!”

“Oh hush,” Camilia told her daughter, pulling her close to plant a kiss in her hair against Luz’s half-hearted struggling. “My entire life doesn’t revolve around you, Mija. Only a large part of it.”

Luz turned to Eda. “This place is beautiful,” she told her. “Do you live here all alone?”

A thundering sound came from upstairs, and Eda rolled her eyes affectionately, something with which Camilia had plenty of experience. “Actually, I have a roommate.”

A monstrous shadow loomed in the hallway, marching forward. “Who dares intrude upon I,” and the voice became squeakier, the shadow shrinking, “the King of Demons?” A small canine creature that reminded Camilia of the legend of the Chupacabra stood in the doorway, a bathtowel wrapped around its waist and head, and a rubber ducky in its hand.

Luz gave a tiny gasp, and Camilia instinctively shot a hand forward. “Luz, wait-“

“ _Aye que lindo_!” She raced forward, sweeping the little thing up in her arms. “Eda, he’s so cute! Who’s a widdle guy? Who’s a widdle guy? Is it you? Is it you?”

The creature struggled in her arms, pushing back against her attempts to snuggle it to death. “No! I don’t know who your little guy is! Eda, who is this monster?”

Camilia sighed, putting her head in her hands. “Sorry. She’s been like this since she was a little girl. Once, she tried to bring home a badger as a pet. And before that, she snuck past our neighbor’s fence to pet their attack dog.” Granted, the dog had taken to Luz like a doting puppy and nobody got hurt, but it was still enough to worry her.

Eda waved a hand dismissively. “Don’t worry, she’s fine. King’s a tough boy, a little snuggling won’t kill him. Besides, he wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

“Yes I would!” King hissed, trying to crawl out of Luz’s arms. “I will raze this world to the ground and rule upon my throne of bones! Or, at least, I would if I were at my full power.”

“And that’s why these two are here,” Eda said, clapping a hand on Camilia’s shoulder. “They’re here to help us fix our little… ‘situation’.”

King tilted his head. “Oh. Hooray!”

Luz raised her hands defensively. “Wait, wait, wait. I don’t like the sound of this situation.”

Camilia nodded, hand drifting to the pocket with the taser. “If it’s anything dangerous, I’ll do it.” At Luz’s hurt expression, Camilia sighed. “Mija, I’d rather get myself hurt than see you endanger yourself again.”

“It’s nothing too dangerous. At least, not for us.” Eda tapped a finger against her chin. “Here, let me explain.” She twisted her arms into a perfect circle, forming a screen of images. “King here was once a mighty king of demons, until his Crown of Power was stolen, and he became… this.” She gestured to the creature currently trapped in Luz’s arms.

Luz squeed and gave the creature another tight hug. “You mean this little bundle of joy?”

Eda nodded. “The crown is being held by the evil Warden Wrath, and locked away behind a magical force field that only a human can break through. A human like you!” She pointed a finger at Camilia. “If you help us retrieve his crown, we’ll send you back to your realm. So, whaddya say?” She plucked King out of Luz’s arms, swaying him back and forth. “Plus, who can say no to this cute face, huh?”

King struggled in her arms. “No! Please don’t encourage her! Ah!”

Eda watched as he slipped out of her hands and ran off to the couch. She looked to Camilia. “I mean, we’re kinda your only way home.”

“So I don’t have a choice in the matter,” Camilia grumbled. As much as she hated the idea of helping a demon king regain power, her daughter took priority- they needed to get back home, and she needed to get to work. The thought sent a shock down her spine, and she whipped out her phone. Miraculously, the WiFi signal was still strong enough even through the dimension, and she typed out a quick message to her supervisor that Luz was experiencing nausea and vomiting, and Camilia would be taking the day off to help her. She sighed and slipped her phone back into her pocket. “Fine. The sooner we get this done, the better.”

“That’s the spirit!” Eda chanted. “C’mon, there’s no time to lose.”

Camilia placed a gentle hand on Luz’s shoulder. “Mija, sweetie, stay here until I get back, okay? If this goes south, I don’t want you getting hurt.”

Eda shrugged. “Sure, leave her here without any adult supervision. That’ll go great.”

As much as Camilia wanted to argue against bringing her child along, Eda did have a point. “Fine. Do you know any babysitters I can call?”

“Why would you sit on a baby?” Eda asked with complete sincerity.

Camilia dropped her head into her hands again with a groan, before standing and taking Luz’s hand in her own. “Okay, Luz, you’re coming with us. But you’re staying out of sight, you hear me?”

“Yes!” Luz hissed, doing a little fist-pump in the air. “Where are we going?”

Eda grinned. “Somewhere super fun!”

As Camilia expected, it was the exact opposite of fun. A dark, towering building that Eda called the Conformatorium loomed overhead, every aspect of the building seemingly designed to be as disturbing as possible.

Luz whistled as they passed a wanted poster for Eda with an obscenely high number posted as the bounty. “Wow, these guys really have the hots for you.”

Eda nodded, untacking the poster and slipping it into her bag. “Yep! But we were never caught because we’re too slippery.”

King crawled up Camilia’s back, standing on her head. “Try to catch me when I’m covered in grease. I’m a slippery little fella!” He pointed to the top of the tower. “That’s where they’re storing my crown. You and I will sneak up to the top of the tower, and you can get past the forcefield!”

Eda nodded, a proud grin on her face. “And Luz and I will stay down here and make sure the guards are distracted. Sound like a good plan?”

“No?!” Camilia sputtered. “Luz, you need to stay out of sight, please.”

“But Mama, I can help! Remember, I’m really good at getting people’s attention.”

“And that’s what I’m worried about, Mija!” Camilia took her daughter in her arms, trying to convey the _worryfearterror_ that coursed through her veins. “What if the guards catch you? What if you get hurt? I couldn’t live with myself if something happened.”

“It won’t,” Eda told her, sincerity in the woman’s eyes for the first time since Camilia met her. “Believe me, I’m not going to let them hurt Luz. We’re going to be in and out before they have a chance to strike back. Besides,” she said, ruffling Luz’s hair, “I’m sure the little nutjob’s got some tricks up her sleeve.”

As easy as it would be to deny Eda further, to hide her daughter away, Camilia had a feeling of certainty about this. She sighed. “Watch over her,” she ordered Eda.

“Cross my heart. Hope to fly.” Eda slammed her staff into the ground, conjuring a disc of pale golden light to form under Camilia and King’s feet. “Meet you guys at the top!” she told them, helping Luz up on the staff as they flew away.

Camilia held tight to the disc, just managing to leap from the light onto the windowsill when they reached the top. King clung to her until they were inside, shaking out his fur. “Alright, let’s keep moving.”

As they approached the center, Camilia felt herself halt at the rows of cells. She swallowed, turning to King. “You didn’t tell me this was a prison.”

“I bet he didn’t,” said a silky voice behind her. Camilia turned to see a young girl in one of the cells, a book tucked under her arm. She got to her feet, sighing. “So, who’re you? You don’t look like a guard, but you’re not exactly in a cell, either.”

“We’re doing a break-in!” King cheered, throwing his little hands up in the air.

Camilia stepped towards the girl, tilting her head. “What landed you in here? You can’t be much older than my daughter.”

The girl scoffed. “Being me. The Warden doesn’t lock up criminals, he just throws in anyone who doesn’t fit in.” The girl opened her book, showing an onion and a carrot in a tearful confession scene. “Like, I like to write fanfiction about food falling in love. I like food, I like love…” She slammed the book shut with a growl. “Just let me write about it!”

Camilia couldn’t help the smile on her face. “You sound just like my daughter.”

Another prisoner, a short blue-skinned fellow with about a dozen holes in his head, gulped nervously. “I’m here because I like eating my own eyes.” He popped one of his remaining eyeballs out of his head and swallows it down.

Camilia grimaced. “You… should not do that.” Even if he wasn’t human, that couldn’t be healthy.

Another prisoner, a tiny creature with a giant nose, shook the bars of their cell. “We awe agents of fwee expwession! They will never siwence us!”

The fanfic girl jabbed a thumb at the prisoner with rhotacism. “Yeah, she’s really big into conspiracy theories.”

“The world is a simuwation! We awe but pwaythings for a higher power!”

Camilia tilted her head. “Well, those are certainly… interesting quirks, but none of those would qualify as misdemeanors, let alone crimes worth being imprisoned for.” She frowns. “You’re just… different. Like my Luz.”

The sound of heavy footsteps broke through the air, coming closer and closer with every second. The fanfic girl gasped, pulling away from the entrance. “It’s Warden Wrath, hide!”

Camilia scooped up King and slid under the entrance to a cell, holding her breath as she cowered in the shadows. A door creaked open, and a man maybe eight or nine feet tall stomped into view. Like the other guards, he wore a plague doctor mask, but- and this was most terrifying of all- he had a triangle badge on his chest.

He cast his gaze around the cells slowly, his eyes halting on the shadows where Camilia and King were hiding in. “I can hear you,” he rumbled, and Camilia swallowed down the bile rising in the back of her throat. After a moment, he moved away from her cell towards the fanfic girl. “Just what are you fools whispering about?”

His foot crushed a piece of paper, and he gave a low laugh. “The Owl Lady. Of course.” He plucked the poster off his boot, crushing it in one meaty hand. “I’ll get my hands on her soon enough.”

The voice of the conspiracy prisoner rang through the halls. “Fight against the oppwessor! We will wesist! We will conquer! We will never be afwaid of you, you old cweep!”

The Warden snarled, lifting the opening of her cage. She cheered. “Hooway! I’m fwee!” She squeaked in pain as he clamped a hand around her, lifting her body like a stress ball.

“Let this be a lesson to all of you. There’s no place in society for you if you can’t fit in.”

Once he had left the room, Camilia lifted the entrance of her cell, something tight in her chest. “That wasn’t about fitting in,” she mumbled, half to herself and half to the prisoners. “He was using an excuse to be cruel- to hurt you. This is wrong.”

“You think we don’t know that?” the fanfic girl mumbled. “Just get out of here while you still can, miss. Enjoy freedom for us.”

Camilia reached a hand through one of the gaps in the cell, giving the girl’s hand a gentle squeeze. “I’ll find a way to get you out. I promise.” She couldn’t in good conscious leave a teenager- a _child_ \- in a prison cell for who knows how long.

King led her the rest of the way to the containment cell, but by the time they got there Luz and Eda were standing at the entrance. Luz was bouncing in her step, eyes alight for the first time in… well, forever, really. “Mami!” She rushed to Camilia, taking her hands with a grin. “Mama, I set a guy on fire!”

“You _what?_ ”

Eda waved a hand dismissively. “Eh, he’ll be fine. Besides, he tried to set us on fire first.” At Camilia’s worried expression, Eda put her hands up. “He failed! Obviously. I _am_ the greatest witch of the Boiling Isles.” She gestured to the grand door. “C’mon, the crown’s just through here.”

“I can taste its power!” King yelled, pushing through the door.

Eda chuckled softly, taking Camilia’s hand in her own. “Ah, he’s so cute when he’s lusting for power. C’mon, before he hurts himself.”

Camilia let herself be led inside, lost in her thoughts. Surely Reality Check Camp wouldn’t be nearly as severe as what was enforced on the prisoners of the Conformatorium, but… the idea was still similar, in taking those who society deemed unsavory and conditioning them to accept normalcy. Even if Luz didn’t catch the similarities, Camilia certainly did, and the idea was disconcerting to say the least. Did her daughter really need to be placed somewhere she hated?

But then, she’d been the one to pitch the idea to Luz’s principal, after she’d been called in for the fourth time in as many marking periods. Surely she’d be better off without having to constantly be reprimanded for her dangerous behaviors, right? But then… only the incident with the snakes and the griffon model had actually been behaviors that needed correcting. The other two times she’d been called into the principal’s office had been for things that were off-putting but still relatively harmless.

Luz was the only thing Camilia had left in this world. If she ended up with a daughter who hated her, she didn’t know what she would do with herself.

“Hey! Hot Mama, you feeling alright?” Eda’s voice snapped her out of her contemplation, her hand still holding Camilia’s in a loose grip. “You said you’d be the one to get King’s crown.”

“Right. Right, I did say that.” Camilia took a deep breath and passed through the barrier, surprised at the lack of resistance. Inside the walls it was filled with light, and at the top of the contraband pile sat a-

Wait a minute.

“Is that… a fast-food toy?” Luz asked as Camilia exited the barrier with ‘crown’ in hand.

“My crown!” King made grabby-hands at Camilia, squealing as she handed over the toy. “Yes. Yes! I can feel my powers returning!” He pointed at a plush rabbit that had fallen out as Camilia had climbed the pile. “You, there. Nightmare critter. I shall call you Francois, and you shall be a minion in my army of darkness. Ha‐ha!”

Luz looked to Eda. “That crown doesn’t give him any powers, does it?”

“Uh, no.” Eda leaned back against her staff, sighing. “Oh, look at us. King and I don't have much in this world. We only have each other. So if that dumb crown is important to him, it's important to me. And besides, us weirdos have to stick together, you know?”

Luz nodded, and Camilia felt a white-hot pain shoot through her- had she really been alienating her daughter this whole time? Was this really how Luz felt? She’d only wanted for Luz to be happy, to feel accepted and to have friends and maybe get into a bit of trouble, the way girls her age were supposed to. Instead, she’d nearly shipped her daughter off to someplace that would stamp away anything that would make her happy.

“Mami? You okay?” Luz asked, tapping her on the shoulder.

Camilia wiped away a few tears that had sprung to her eyes. “I’m fine,” she told Luz, surprised at the lump in her throat. “Just- just thinking.”

Eda shrugged. “Well, we owe you one. Now, let’s get out of here before the Warden finds us and loses his head.”

Camilia inhaled sharply. “Eda-“

“Too late.” A blade sliced through Eda’s neck, separating her head from the rest of her body. The head rolled forward, right into Luz’s feet.

Luz screamed, as did Eda’s head. “OW! Oh, I hate it when that happens.”

“Eda! Are you okay?” Luz asked, cradling Eda’s head in her arms.

“Yeah, this just happens when you get old.”

Luz looked to Camilia for a moment. “Does it?” she asked in a horrified tone of voice.

Before Camilia could tell her, the Warden stepped forward, plucking the toy crown from King’s head. “Finally, I have you cornered, Eda the Owl Lady.” He held the crown aloft, ignoring King’s frantic attempts to get it back. “My guards could never catch you, but I knew if I took your pet’s toy, you’d come running.” He crushed the crown with a flex of his fist.

King let out a heartbroken sob. “No! My power!”

Camilia glared at the man, putting herself between him and her daughter. “Not another step closer!”

He shoved her aside with a swing of his arm, making Camilia grunt as she hit the floor. Luz gasped, rushing to her. “Mama! Are you okay?”

Camilia winced. “I definitely bruised some ribs, but I’ll be okay.”

Eda’s head glared up at the Warden. “What do you want with me? I’ve never actually broken any of your stupid laws… in front of you.”

“I want you,” the Warden rumbled, kneeling down, “to go out with me.” A bouquet of flowers appeared in his hands.

What?

“Wha?” Luz mumbled.

“What?” Eda said, incredulous.

One of the guards from behind the Warden gave a thumbs-up. “You go, Boss!”

The Warden went on. “You’ve always eluded our capture. You’ve always been the one that got away. I found that alluring.”

Oh, great. He was one of _those_ guys. Beside Camilia, Luz made a displeased sound. “I hate everything that you’re saying right now.”

“You stay out of this!” The warden’s arm shot out, entangling around both Luz and Camilia and holding them aloft. Camilia couldn’t help the shriek of pain as his limbs tightened around her bruised chest, making it harder to breathe. The Warden grabbed Eda’s head by her hair and held it eye-to-eye with himself. “So how’s about it, Owl Lady? The most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles and the feared Warden Wrath? We’d be the strongest power couple ever.” He paused for a second. “I mean, it’s not like you can say no right now.”

A look of guilt flashed over Eda’s face as she looked first to Luz, then to Camilia, then to King. Camilia struggled to reach her pocket in the warden’s grip. If she could just reach it…

“Alright, Warden. You win. I'd just like to say something first. Come closer.” He moved her head closer to him. “No. Just come a little bit closer. Just... Yeah, that's good.” She took a big breath (somehow? she didn’t have any lungs, but this was magic so… whatever) and blew a raspberry in his face.

The Warden choked and released Luz and Camilia, wiping at his mask. “Impudent wench! Don’t you know how many germs are in your mouth? Ugh!”

Eda rolled her eyes. “Get over it. You had your guards stalk me, and then you cut off my head. I am _not_ going out with you.”

Camilia nudged Luz behind her. “When I say run, you run.”

The Warden was still focused on Eda. “If you don’t accept, then I have no choice but to des-“

“HEY!” Camilia snarled. The Warden whipped his head around to see her, at which point Camilia jabbed him in the neck with her taser. The needles lodged themselves in his flesh, clicking with electricity as the current raced through his body. He convulsed for a few seconds and then collapsed.

Eda’s head laughed. “Nice!” The guards surrounded them, but Luz whacked two of them over the heads with Eda’s staff, and Eda’s body pulled up the cloaks of the other two.

“Okay, we’re going now!” Luz placed herself at the front of the staff, with Eda behind her and King and Camilia at the end. “Uh.. expecto, flying? Magicus… escapius?”

Eda rolled her eyes. “Gun it, magic stick!” The staff shot off towards the row of cells.

The Warden roared behind them, the taser still sticking out of his neck. “Owl Lady, I won’t let you get away again!” Camilia heard a sound like dozens of arms grappling for control and decided she didn’t want to see that, instead trying to keep the balance on a staff made for one, maybe two people, but which currently had three and a half.

“Mama, lend me a hand!” Luz called as they came across three of the occupied cells. Camilia braced her hand against her daughter’s and the two managed to pull the levers on the prisoners’ cells.

They bust through the door, but their flight was short-lived as the Warden shot a tendril out and disbalanced the staff. The group went flying, with Camilia tucking into a roll and putting her body between Luz and the rocky surface below. She yelped as some skin was scraped off her forearms, and her ribs gave a protest, but at least it was her and not her daughter.

As they hit the ground, Eda put her head back on and pulled the key to the door from her hair. “Camilia, Luz, go back to the human world.”

“But what about you?” Luz asked.

King scoffed. “If you think this guy is bad, you should’ve seen her last boyfriend!”

“Not my boyfriend!” Eda told him, grabbing King and rolling out of the way of the Warden’s axeblade hands. “Camilia, take your daughter and go!”

Camilia felt a flicker of hesitation. She couldn’t just leave Eda to die. “But-“

“Go, go!” She smacked the butt of the staff, making it shoot off away from the fighting. As the staff circled higher, Camilia saw the Warden take off his mask and shoot a stream of fire at Eda, but even without her staff Eda simply drew a circle and sent the fire flying back at him. The Warden crashed into the walls of the conformatorium, creating a gaping hole.

The staff landed at the hole shortly after the Warden got up, and Camilia blinked in surprise. “This is your chance, why aren’t you running?”

The eyeball prisoner looked away. “The Warden will catch us. He always does.”

The fanfic prisoner sighed. “We belong here.”

The conspiracy prisoner rubbed at her black eye. “Self-doubt is a pwison you can never escape fwom.”

Luz shook her head. “So you have a different way of doing things, a different way of seeing things. That might make you weird, but it also makes you awesome! Don’t you see?”

The fanfic prisoner narrowed her eyes. “Why are you helping us?”

Luz hoisted the staff over her shoulder. “Because us weirdos have to stick together. And nobody should be punished for who they are!”

The prisoners cheered, and Camilia placed a hand on Luz’s shoulder. “Well said, Mija. Now, let’s get him!”

The Warden raised his axeblade arms. “No more running away, Owl Lady. Today I capture you once and for all!”

The prisoners let up a war cry as they tackled him. Camilia ran beside her daughter, who was mounted on the staff. “Go, go, go, go!”

The Warden struggled to break free as the prisoners dogpiled him. Camilia helped Eda to her feet. “You okay?” she asked.

Eda was silent for a moment, then nodded. “Yeah.”

The Warden roared as he was tied up with his own arms. “You!” he shouted at Luz. “Who do you think you are?”

Luz lifted her chin confidently. “Do not underestimate me, Warden Wrath. For I am Luz, the human! Warrior of peace.”

Camilia blinked in surprise, remembering Luz’s book report. She knew what was coming next, and tugged Eda away from the blast zone.

“NOW EAT THIS, SUCKA!” Luz shouted as she launched the fireworks into the Warden’s mouth. The Warden tried breathing his fire-breath, and predictably enough set off a chain reaction of fireworks erupting in and out of his his mouth. He screamed and ran off towards the conformatorium, fireworks lighting up the night sky.

King crawled up to Eda’s shoulder. “That was actually one of her better breakups.”

“Not a breakup,” Eda insisted, placing a hand on Luz’s head affectionately. “Anyways, let’s bounce before any more monsters fall in love with me.” She gave a saucy wink to Camilia. “Though you’re welcome to any time, honey.”

Camilia rolled her eyes, though she couldn’t help the flush creeping on her cheeks. “Shut it.”

The ride back to the Owl House was mostly uneventful, Luz sandwiched in between Camilia and Eda. Once they landed, Eda stretched. “Well, a deal’s a deal.” She clicked the eye on the key. “C’mon, you two. Let’s get you home.” The door opened up with a shudder, leading back to earth.

Luz pulled her Azura doll from her backpack, plucking the crown off its head. “Before I go? I know it’s not the same, but a king shouldn’t be without his crown.”

King looked up at the miniture crown on his head. “This shall suffice.” He pointed at a potted plant. “You there! Plant! You are now under my command!”

Eda plucked up the Azura book off her table, with the Reality Check pamphlet on top of it. “Oh, and don’t forget this.” She handed both back to Luz, a faint smile on her face.

Camilia sighed. “Well, I won’t lie- this was both the most stressful time I’ve had in a while, and oddly the most fun I’ve had. So- thank you, I suppose.”

Eda shrugged. “Anytime, Camilia.” She gave her a gentle nudge towards the door- towards home.

Luz reached for the doorknob, but stilled. “Mama?”

Oh, dear. “Yes?”

“I know-“ She took a deep breath. “I know Eda got her head cut off today, and we started some kind of prison riot, but this is the most free I’ve felt in a long time. I don’t fit in at home, you know that. And Eda doesn’t fit in here.” She took her mother’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “But if I stay here, we could not fit in, together. Please.” She looked up at her mother, desperation in her eyes. “I really don’t want to go to summer camp.”

Eda gave a confused laugh. “What- what’s summer camp? What are we talking about here?”

“I want to stay!” Luz told them, pleading. “And become a witch, like you and Azura!”

Camilia sighed. “Sweetheart, just because magic apparently exists, doesn’t mean it’s going to be like your fantasy books.”

“Yeah. Plus, humans can’t become witches. It’s biologically impossible.” Eda gave Luz’s hair a gentle ruffle. “Sorry, kiddo.”

“Maybe humans can’t do magic because none have ever tried,” Luz said, still on the hype train. “If you teach me to become a witch, I’ll do anything you want!”

King wriggled around excitedly. “Let her stay! She can make us snacks.”

Eda rolled her eyes. “Well, I could use a hand in keeping this goofball out of the cupboards. Alright, I’ll teach you to be a witch. On two conditions. If you stay, you have to work for your magic first.”

“Yes!” Luz cheered.

“And the second- I need your mom’s permission first.” Eda gave her a smile. “Well, Camilia? What do you say?”

Camilia thought for a moment. “You’ll make sure she stays safe and out of trouble?”

“Of course! Who do you take me for?”

Camilia sighed. “I suppose getting a summer job, even if it is for a witch, is another way of learning responsibility.” She gave her daughter’s hand a squeeze. “Alright, you can stay.”

Luz cheered and threw her arms around Camilia’s neck. “Thank you, Mama! Thank you!”

“But! But. You need to do what she tells you to, okay? Be polite, and brush your teeth. And text me every night, okay?”

Luz nodded, bouncing in place. “Mhm!”

Eda jerked a thumb towards the stairs. “I have a spare room upstairs. It’s all yours.” Luz shot off towards the stairs, King close on her heels. Eda laid a gentle hand on Camilia’s shoulder. “Hey. I’m gonna keep her safe, don’t worry.”

“I’m a mother, it’s my job to worry.”

“You’re someone else besides being a mother, though. You said that earlier today.” Eda brushed a lock of hair back behind her ear. “Look, if you ever need a shoulder to lean on or something like that, I’m here.”

“Thanks,” Camilia told her. “For everything.”

Luz came running back down and wrapped both of them in a bone-crushing hug, Camilia hugging back nearly as tight as Eda squawked in confusion. “What is this? What are you doing?”

Camilia rolled her eyes affectionately. “I have to get home, Mija. _Te quiero.”_

_“Te quiero, Mama._ ” Luz lets her go, leaning sleepily on Eda.

Camilia walked through the door and back into the human world. She blinked as she stepped down, away from the old cabin that hid the entrance to the Boiling Isles. A moment later, her phone buzzed.

_From: Lulu_

_Love you mami <3 Get home safely!!!_

Camilia smiled warmly and tapped out a response, before heading home. She had a lot to think about.

\---

_To: Lulu_

_I will. Deja una luz encendida para mí._

**Author's Note:**

> Camilia is a good mom and anyone who disagrees can fight me


End file.
